Channel 4 Orders Investigation After Producer On True Crime Series Takes His Own Life
Trigger warning: this article includes mention of suicide and other topics that readers may find disturbing.
Channel 4 has ordered an independent investigation into the death of a producer who took his own life after working on the UK broadcaster’s true crime series In the Footsteps of Killers, Deadline can reveal.
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John Balson died on May 17, having spent weeks experiencing intense physical pain and mental anguish. Deadline has spoken with his family and they have given us permission to publish this article in order to raise awareness of the dangers of overwork in factual TV, which was one of Balson’s wishes.
Channel 4 said it was “deeply saddened” by Balson’s death and has instructed British legal firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) to investigate, pledging to take “whatever action is appropriate.” The broadcaster is in contact with Balson’s family. No decision has been made over whether the show will be broadcast.
During his time working on In the Footsteps of Killers in the first four months of 2024, Balson, a 40-year-old father of one whose wife is pregnant with their second child, told his family he received threats from someone associated with a person he was researching. According to his wife, he felt he was blamed by the production for a family declining to take part in the show and became exhausted leading to intense physical symptoms associated with vestibular migraine disorder, while his mental health deteriorated.
Alaska TV, the London-based producer behind In the Footsteps of Killers, said the wellbeing of its employees was of “paramount importance,” but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation. An inquest into Balson’s death won’t take place for months and charities advise that no single factor should be attributed to the reasoning behind a person taking their own life.
According to his recent medical history, which Deadline has seen, the experienced producer and journalist, whose past credits included Netflix’s When Missing Turns To Murder and CBS Reality’s Murder: First On Scene, had struggled over the past few years working long days in Japan and then often working late nights in the UK, dealing with difficult topics and contributors. He did not have a history of mental health issues, his family said.
He started work in January on the third season of In the Footsteps of Killers, a true crime show in which Silent Witness actor Emilia Fox and criminologist David Wilson investigate famous cold cases.
After his symptoms started in March, Balson sought help from a number of medical professionals and twice went to accident & emergency. A few weeks before he died, he was told he likely had a form of vestibular migraine disorder. He stopped working around a month before he died and Alaska declined to comment on whether they were aware he was suffering at this time.
Intended as both a lesson-learning exercise and duty of care review, Channel 4 told us RPC’s “thorough investigation” will be “as swift as circumstances allow.” Balson’s family will be briefed on the learnings from the investigation. In the interim, Channel 4 programs boss Ian Katz has offered support to Balson’s family and the network has made a donation to them.
To avoid pre-empting the findings of the investigation, Channel 4 declined to say whether Alaska had broken its Supplier Code of Conduct, which includes a section that reads: “Due care must be taken over the physical and emotional welfare and the dignity of all people who take part in or are otherwise involved in your business.” The investigation is the second that Channel 4 has ordered in the past year and poses further questions about how below-the-line staffers are treated on its shows. Last May, Deadline revealed that the network had severed ties with two of its biggest stars, Dick and Angel Strawbridge, after ordering an investigation into their conduct.
Beyond providing a statement, Alaska declined to answer several of Deadline’s questions. The company, which is run by Paul Sommers and Chris Fouracre, said it had never had a complaint of this nature before. A spokesman said it gives colleagues access to “support resources including a specialist TV production psychologist, recommended Screenskills courses (including on mental health), and help and guidance from industry bodies including the Film and TV Charity.”
Balson’s tragic death, events leading up to it and his desire for the dangers of overwork in factual TV to be made public will likely reopen debates around duty of care and conditions for TV workers, especially in the fast-paced world of true crime and factual. Only last year, an Association of True Crime Producers was launched by a group of British execs, and Deadline recently analyzed the work being done in the space to improve conditions. Anonymous sources in the true crime space detailed experiences to us including “delayed trauma” and being threatened by relatives of contributors.
The Channel 4 statement read: “Channel 4 was deeply saddened by the news of John’s death, and our thoughts are with his wife and family at this incredibly difficult time. John was a highly respected and much-loved professional – both amongst his colleagues at Alaska TV and those who worked with him across the industry – and will be sorely missed. We are in ongoing contact with John’s family and offering them our support. We are also in a dialogue with [the union] BECTU and have engaged an external law firm to undertake a thorough investigation, which will be as swift as circumstances allow. We will take whatever action is appropriate in response to its findings.
“While we do not employ production staff directly, the wellbeing of all those working on the productions we commission is vitally important and is something we take very seriously. We are committed to supporting our production partners in ensuring those productions are safe and professional workplaces, with safeguarding measures in place. Our Supplier Code of Conduct outlines our commitments and is well communicated to all production companies we work with.”
Alaska’s statement added: “It was with great sadness that we learned of John’s passing – an extremely talented and thoughtful Director, he will be hugely missed by us all. The wellbeing of our all staff is of paramount importance, and whilst we’re unable to comment further given the investigation with Channel 4, our thoughts and love are with John’s family and friends at this very difficult time”.
Bectu, the union, has repeatedly campaigned for better working conditions and shorter hours in TV. It launched a campaign titled Eyes Half Shut in 2017, which called on the industry to come together and form a commission dedicated to reducing the industry’s reliance on a long-hours working culture.
Bectu Head Philippa Childs said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of this tragedy and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and everyone impacted. The industry must take urgent steps to address the unhealthy and counterproductive long-hours culture that leaves workers feeling isolated, burnt out and unable to sustain a healthy work/life balance.”
A gofundme page has been set up for Balson’s family and donations can be made here.
Suicide is preventable and support can be found via the Samaritans, National Suicide Prevention Helpline and other organizations. The Film and TV Charity’s Support Line is open 24 hours a day and is available to everyone working in the industry, whether freelance or employee. It provides in-the-moment help from trained counsellors, as well as access to other mental health support. Partners and adult children of people working in the industry are also able to access help. Call 0800 054 0000 or visit www.filmtvcharity.org.uk to start a Live Chat.
In the U.S., a list of helplines can be found here and information on suicide prevention from the National Institute of Mental Health can be found here.
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